This Women’s History Month, we are putting a spotlight on the women’s sports’ trailblazers. Up first: Sheryl Swoopes, who holds a unique place in history as a woman of many firsts. Beyond being the WNBA’s first-ever draft pick, she is also the first Black woman and female athlete ever to land a signature athletic shoe deal.

In 1995, a full year before the WNBA even tipped off its inaugural season, Swoopes and Nike launched the "Nike Air Swoopes." The four-time champion and three-time MVP didn't just play in the shoes; she debuted them on the global stage during the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. At a time when female athletes were rarely the face of a brand, Swoopes was busy blazing a trail that proved women could headline their own products.

Since that 1995 release, Nike has only produced signature basketball shoes for nine other female athletes, highlighting just how significant Swoopes' breakthrough was for the sport.

Air Swoopes’  impact is still felt. A'ja Wilson recently became  only the second African-American woman to have a signature shoe with the brand since 2002. Swoopes told Front Office Sports, she sees this as an opportunity for the generations of Black women in sports to connect. “I bring that up because there is opportunity there for me to capitalize off of A’ja being only the second African American woman to have a signature shoe... and me being the first,” Swoopes said. “There is something there for us to work on together.”